A Pro-Life Message for the Culture

Tag Archives: faith

Sandy’s Silver Lining?

Hurricane Sandy left such devastation along the Eastern seaboard that it is hard to imagine how one could think there could ever be a silver lining. But the news is that because of Hurricane Sandy, there were no abortions in Germantown again this week! Dr. Carhart was unable to travel in from the mid west to his Maryland abortion clinic due to the weather. That makes two weeks in a row now that there were no abortions in Germantown, which is wonderful and amazing all at the same time.

While it’s great to rejoice in the fact that no abortions were performed in Germantown this week, let’s not forget to continue praying for the folks in New Jersey and New York who continue to suffer because of the storm. People are starting to run out food and water and it is cold outside and getting colder inside. The Salvation Army and the America Red Cross are two organizations that are working hard to help bring disaster relief to this part of the country.

I’d like to share a reflection by Father Frank Pavone from today’s 40 Days for Life campaign:

INTENTION
Pray that we become vessels of hope to all around us,
especially to those who minister in the pro-life
movement.

SCRIPTURE

On the first day of the week, very early in the
morning, the women took the spices they had prepared
and went to the tomb. They found the stone rolled
away from the tomb, but when they entered, they did
not find the body of the Lord Jesus. “Why do you look
for the living among the dead? He is not here; he has
risen!”

— Luke 24:1-5

REFLECTION by Fr. Frank Pavone

This meditation, based on a sermon I once heard, is
adapted for pro-life concerns.

It’s Friday. Jesus is on the cross. He has been
killed by his enemies; he is off the scene. But
that’s because it’s Friday. Sunday’s comin’!

It’s Friday. Abortionists continue their work 3,300
times a day, tearing off the arms and legs of little
babies and crushing their heads. But that’s because
it’s Friday. Sunday’s comin’! It’s Friday.
Pro-abortion groups receive blood money from
billionaires who are as deceived as they are. But
that’s because it’s Friday. Sunday’s comin’!

It’s Friday. Liars attempt to speak for all women and
hide the pain of abortion, and ignore the evidence of
how it harms women, and call abortion a blessing. But
that’s because it’s Friday. Sunday’s comin’! It’s
Friday. People of hardened hearts guard the clinics
and usher desperate women in to have their abortions,
while keeping them from the pro-life people who want
to give them hope. But that’s because it’s Friday.
Sunday’s comin’!

Hope does not mean that we ignore or minimize the
evils around us. It means, rather, that we see the
whole picture, which is that evil is conquered
because of what happened one Sunday morning. The
power of sin and death has been broken by the
Resurrection of Christ. We are called to proclaim,
celebrate, and serve that victory, waiting in joyful
hope for Christ’s return and the full flowering of
the Culture of Life! Indeed, Sunday’s comin’!

PRAYER

Lord, fill your people with new hope. Make us vessels
of hope to all around us, especially to those who
minister in the pro-life movement, that as we engage
in the difficult work ahead, we may experience the
peace and joy that come only from you and that nobody
can take away from us. We ask this through Christ our
Lord, Amen.

For Such A Time As This

Spiritual warfare can take on many forms. Sometimes we march around the city in order to see the walls fall down and sometimes it is a matter of being in the right place at the right time with an ear that is close to the heart of God. Such was the case with Esther. She literally found herself in the right place at the right time to make an enormous difference in the lives of her people in a foreign land. Had it not been for her uncle’s willingness to sit at the gate of the King to make sure that he was fully aware of all that was going on in the kingdom and Esther’s willingness and courage to stand up for those who had no voice, the Jewish people may have been annihilated.

The book of Esther indicates that she could have chosen to do nothing to help her people, but her uncle warns her that just because she is the queen does not mean that she will escape the fate of the Jewish people that is coming. But, instead, he presents her with the idea that she may have been placed in this position precisely because she was meant to do something about the situation that was coming. I imagine this was a very difficult decision for Esther, one that took a great deal of courage. In short, her life was on the line here. For Esther to act on her uncle’s request meant that she had approach the king without being summoned by him. If he happened to be in a particularly bad mood the day she decided to go and speak with him, she may very well have been the first Jewish person executed in that kingdom. But Esther went to prayer – she fasted and prayed for three days before deciding on how to approach the king and God heard her prayer!

The story of Esther is a wonderful picture of how God answers prayer and shows us how the battle belongs to the Lord. The battle is not won through human strategies but in the place of prayer and fasting and by employing God’s strategies. In the fight against abortion, we have to be careful to always seek to obtain God’s strategy for each battle. We each need to ask ourselves what the Lord would have us do in this fight – what is our place in His army? Like Esther, we may find ourselves in unusual situations with regard to either speaking out on behalf of the unborn or protesting on behalf of the unborn, or even being willing to be arrested on behalf of the unborn. Whatever the Lord asks us to do, we need to have the faith that He has equipped us to accomplish the task. Let us always remember the words of the book of Esther that say “yet who knows whether you have come to the kingdom for such a time as this?” (Esther 4:14)

” Take up the ark of the covenant of the Lord and have seven priests carry trumpets in front of it.” And he ordered the army, “Advance! March around the city, with an armed guard going ahead of the ark of the Lord. The seventh time around, when the priests sounded the trumpet blast, Joshua commanded the army, “Shout! For the Lord has given you the city!” (Joshua 6:6-7, 16)

Today is Monday and the start of a new week of prayer and a new focus on a prayer for me at the Germantown clinic. I have sensed from the Lord that I should continue to use the Rosary as a means of prayer but to add to the intention this week spiritual warfare. I will look at five events in scripture that speak of spiritual warfare, the first of which is the falling of the city of Jericho. At the end of Joshua chapter 5, Joshua has an encounter the Commander of the Army of the Lord, where Joshua falls on his face and is told to remove his sandals because he is on holy ground. This is all we know about this encounter but obviously the Commander instructed Joshua to take the city of Jericho because in the next chapter Lord says that He has given the city of Jericho into the hands of Joshua along with its king and fighting men. The Lord proceeds to give him instructions on how to take the city. It all looks a little strange when you first read the account of the fall of Jericho. March around the city once a day for six days behind the ark of covenant, blowing trumpets the whole time. Do not raise a battle cry, don’t say anything until you’re told to. Then on day seven, march around the city seven times, blowing the trumpets, circling the city, but now on the seventh time, they are commanded to SHOUT!! The Lord has given them the city!

That story has always excited me because it is completely the opposite of what one might think of doing when it comes to a battle. No fighting, no bloodshed, just obedience to the Lord. In fact, it is the bloodshed that we are fighting against in this battle for the unborn. In obedience to the Lord, the 40 Days for Life campaign is promoting peaceful, prayerful vigil outside of the abortion clinic in order to see an end to the bloodshed of abortion. In fact, today on day 27 of the campaign, it has been reported that 341 lives have been saved through this unusual form of spiritual warfare. Yet we are in a battle. We are fighting for the life of the unborn child and for the life of the mother of the unborn child as well.

God’s ways are not our ways to be sure, but His ways are always the best ways!

I know I’ve mentioned this before, today, being Wednesday, is the day that the babies are delivered by dismemberment in Germantown and I was so grieved for the lives of these children today. I have no idea how many children died in Germantown this week, but just one is too many. This morning was very different for me, something I’m generally not used to doing. The Lord had me keep a silent vigil this morning in honor of those who died today. I didn’t pray anything this morning, I just was there in silence and after about a half an hour I decided to read the scripture. I felt impressed to read the book of Habakkuk, which is probably not one of those books that is read so frequently or that one would just of think of reading as I did this morning. But, as is so true with the Lord, it was the right book to read today. The book only has three chapters, so it’s a quick read. Habakkuk’s name means to wrestle with or embrace as in a particularly bothersome issue, i.e. ABORTION. The prophet attempts to explore the issues of why God has allowed evil.

A study by Hampton Keathley at Bible.org does a good job of looking at the book of Habakkuk and explaining the idea of questioning God or wrestling with God over the evil and injustice seen in the world and why this okay to do. But more than that, this book is about faithfulness. It is about the faithfulness of God to redeem His people and bring justice where there is evil and it is about the rewards we receive for being a faithful people. I must remember to remain faithful to that which God has called me and recognize His sovereignty. I must also realize that the answers I want may not come when I want them or in the way I want. It is important to remember that God does not condone evil and His will be done on earth as it is in Heaven! By the end of the book Habakkuk was able to see this and proclaim praises to God.

Though the fig tree should not blossomAnd there be no fruit on the vines,Though the yield of the olive should failAnd the fields produce no food,Though the flock should be cut off from the foldAnd there be no cattle in the stalls,Yet I will exult in the Lord,I will rejoice in the God of my salvation.The Lord God is my strength,And He has made my feet like hinds’ feet,And makes me walk on my high places.